


Kewpie Doll

by Robin Hood (kjack89)



Series: Season 19 Episode Tags [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Episode Tag, M/M, Post-S19E02, Reconciliation, Referenced Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 04:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12291048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjack89/pseuds/Robin%20Hood
Summary: Fin looked at him carefully. “Carisi likes Mustangs,” he said.Barba stared blankly at him. “He — what?”“Mustangs, Counselor,” Fin said before adding helpfully, “You know, like the car.”





	Kewpie Doll

**Author's Note:**

> I sat down to write the next chapter of my Disney fic and wrote this instead.
> 
> References S19E01's deleted scenes and, of course, S19E02.
> 
> Usual disclaimer. Please be kind and tip your fanfic writers in the form of comments and/or kudos!

Fin knocked on Barba’s office door and Barba glanced up, surprised. “Can I help you, Sergeant?” he asked, clearly curious. “Don’t tell me you’re in the doghouse and Liv’s made you errand boy.”

“Funny,” Fin said dryly, stepping into Barba’s office. “I was in the area and wanted to drop off my case notes from the Byron Marks case. I’m, uh, a little behind on my paperwork.”

Barba’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the file in Fin’s hands. “Considering Byron Marks is currently doing 25 years, I’m not too concerned about your notes, Sergeant. Especially since in this case, I think you did enough.”

Fin shrugged unconcernedly. “Yeah, I wanted to thank you for that,” he said casually. “I appreciate you getting me off the hook, Counselor.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Barba said, his gaze shifting back to the case file in front of him, clearly deeming this conversation less interesting than the case he was working on. “It’s up to legislators to determine legality, not prosecutors.

Fin nodded and got to the real reason behind his visit. “You hear about Carisi?”

Barba looked up sharply. “And Tom Williams?” he asked. Fin nodded again and Barba exhaled heavily, his expression tight with something that might generously be considered concern. “Liv told me. I imagine he’s blaming himself, even though he shouldn’t.”

“You should call him, try and talk him out of it,” Fin suggested. Barba made a small, neutral noise and Fin shrugged again. “You know, I asked Carisi about the Byron Marks case. Wanted his opinion as a lawyer.”

Barba’s lips twitched. “I imagine he was more than happy to regale you with his legal expertise.”

“Nah, he actually said he’d have to look it up in one of his law books to be sure.” Barba’s brow furrowed and Fin paused before adding, “Just thought it was kinda funny, given what you said later. That you didn’t know it was legal until you cracked the books.”

Barba went very still. “What’s your point, Sergeant?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Fin said. “I’m just glad to know that you and Carisi are talking again.”

Barba blinked. “We were never _not_ talking,” he said.

Fin shrugged. “No, but for awhile there, it sure looked like there was more yelling than talking going on.”

Though Barba managed a small half-smile at that, his smile was sad, and a little tired. “Well, you’re not wrong there,” he muttered with a sigh.

Fin looked at him carefully. “Carisi likes Mustangs,” he said.

Barba stared blankly at him. “He — what?”

“Mustangs, Counselor,” Fin said before adding helpfully, “You know, like the car.”

“I know what a Mustang is, Sergeant,” Barba snapped.

Fin just chuckled. “Ok, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t accidentally get Carisi a horse as an apology gift.”

Barba looked downright baffled and Fin had to bite back his laugh. “First and foremost,” Barba started, incredulous, “I don’t believe I owe Carisi an apology gift of any variety. Secondly, even if I were to get Carisi an apology gift, or a gift for any occasion, you want that I should get him a _car_?”

Fin shrugged again. “You’re a smart man, Counselor,” he said. “You’ll figure something out.” Barba gaped at him and Fin allowed himself a moment of silent gloating before telling him, “I’ll leave you to it. Have a good night.”

He left Barba’s office and couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Barba repeat behind him, “A Mustang? What in the hell—” before the door closed and cut him off.

It was a little too early to tell, but Fin figured he and Barba were even now.

* * *

 

Carisi stretched out on his couch and sighed with something close to contentment. His first Saturday off in a month, and even if it was pathetic, he had grand plans to spend it napping on his couch before watching a game on TV.

Better to spend it doing that than brooding as he had every night that entire week about Tom Williams falling to his death because Carisi couldn’t save him.

Carisi’s grand plans evaporated almost instantly the moment his cell rang. He huffed a sigh and rolled over to answer it without looking. “Carisi,” he said as a greeting to whoever dared to interrupt his day off.

“Come downstairs.”

 _Barba_.

Carisi sat upright, staring at his wall with something like confusion. “No preamble, Counselor?” Carisi said, buying time as he debated over following Barba’s directive.

As if sensing Carisi’s hesitance, Barba said, a touch exasperatedly, “I’m double parked, Detective, so I would appreciate it if you can save the hemming and hawing for later.”

“Double parked?” Carisi asked, torn somewhere between confusion and amazement, because last he checked, Barba didn’t have a car and absolutely loathed driving.

Barba sighed heavily and Carisi could practically hear his eye roll through the phone. “Just get down here,” he ordered, and Carisi decided that in this case, it’d be better for all parties to just obey.

And if he took the stairs two at a time in his eagerness, well, no one needed to know.

Once he got downstairs, he stopped in his tracks, his heart racing doubletime in a way that had nothing to do with the exertion of five flights of stairs and everything to do with Barba, dressed almost as casually as Carisi had ever seen him in jeans, a simple white button-down shirt and aviator sunglasses, perching on the hood of what Carisi recognized instantly as a 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang.

It was like one of Carisi’s more detailed fantasies had come to life.

“I heard you like Mustangs,” Barba said, and Carisi just nodded his head slowly.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, coming closer and reaching out to touch the car almost reverently. “Yeah, I like Mustangs.” He glanced up at Barba. “Where the hell did you get this?”

Barba shrugged, something almost careless in the motion, as if he wanted Carisi to believe it hadn’t been any trouble for him. “I made a few calls. I’m sure this will shock you, but a few of my friends from law school chose more profitable career paths than I and I managed to find one I’m on good enough terms with that he agreed to let me borrow his car for the day.” He smirked at Carisi. “You want to take it for a spin?”

Carisi’s jaw dropped open. “Are you serious?” he asked. In lieu of a response, Barba tossed the keys to him, and Carisi caught them on instinct alone, his brain still catching up to what was happening. “Hang on,” he said, suspicion slowly sinking in as he looked from the keys to Barba. “Why’re you doing all this for me?”

“I heard about what happened with Tom Williams,” Barba said, his smirk fading slightly. “Figured you could use a pick-me-up.”

Carisi snorted. “Hell of a pick-me-up,” he said. “But you know I’m Catholic. I got a whole different level of guilt goin’ on that no fantastic car is gonna fix. So why’re you _really_ doing this?”

Barba hesitated before saying softly, “You called me Rafael in Liv’s office.”

Carisi just stared at him. “Yeah, and?”

“You called me Rafael in Liv’s office and it made me realize how much I missed you saying my name.”

Barba said the words plainly, with no attempt at sarcasm or snark, but Carisi still sighed and shook his head. “Raf, we’ve got a lot more to work out between us than me getting to drive a fancy car for a day is gonna solve.”

“I know that,” Barba said, taking off his sunglasses and hanging them off the collar of his shirt so that Carisi could see his eyes and read the earnest expression there, so different from Barba’s usual smirk. “But I figured this wouldn’t be a bad place to start.”

Carisi hesitated a moment longer before relenting, just as he knew from the moment he heard Barba’s voice in his ear that he was going to. He was many things, but on occasion, Sonny Carisi was a weak man. “Fine,” he said with a sigh, before adding, “Get in.” Barba arched an eyebrow at him and Carisi met his gaze evenly. “I’m taking you to Staten Island. We can have lunch with my parents.”

“You’re punishing me when I’m trying so hard to be nice to you?” Barba asked, with just enough of a smirk and a lilt to his tone for Carisi to know he was joking.

Mostly.

“Something like that, anyway,” Carisi said, favoring Barba with a smirk of his own.

Barba rolled his eyes but slid off the hood of the car and made as if to cross to the passenger side when Carisi reached out to grab him by the arm, pull him in close and kiss him. Barba met his movement perfectly, slotting himself against Carisi like he had been made to fit there all along.

Carisi wasn’t surprised. Of all the difficulties that had arisen between them, physical compatibility had never been one of them.

Not by a long shot.

“Pretty extreme for an apology gift,” Carisi teased when they broke apart. “You probably coulda won me back with a coffee and a compliment.”

“It’s not an apology gift,” Barba insisted, a stubborn set to his jaw that Carisi knew better to argue with if he wanted the day to go anything like his best fantasies.

“Then what is it?”

Barba’s smirk returned. “It’s a kewpie doll.”

Carisi rolled his eyes. “Hell of a consolation prize, Counselor.”

“Yeah,” Barba said, something in both his tone and the soft look on his face indicating that he wasn’t even remotely talking about the car anymore as he leaned in to capture Carisi’s lips with his own once more. “It really is.”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Devil Red](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12339372) by [AHumanFemale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHumanFemale/pseuds/AHumanFemale)




End file.
